A small unit of over a thousand men, in theory, should be able to reach Songgo quickly. After all, it's only a hundred kilometers from Tete to Songgo, which should take just three to four days.
But the pace of the Black people's march was frustratingly slow for the accompanying French instructor, Lieutenant Kerry. They spent four days on the road and still hadn't arrived, despite it being the dry season in Mozambique, where the dry grasslands shouldn't pose much difficulty for marching.
However, this pace pleased the Portuguese officers. In their view, a forced march was unnecessary. Songgo was just a small outpost, and as Portugal hadn't declared war, they believed the East Africans couldn't have prepared in advance, so they strolled leisurely on the road. After all, covering ten kilometers a day was still within the standard.
Kerry, riding on a horse, said to the Portuguese commander, "Captain Luo De, can't we get the troops to speed up? We're going to war, not on a picnic."
